Founder and Dictator-In-Chief of TFB. A passionate gun owner, a shooting enthusiast and totally tacti-uncool. Favorite first date location: any gun range. Steve can be contacted here.

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SoloTwo

Ugh what in the world is the point of making it smaller………

Glenn

I’ve recently bought one of the small Browning 1911’s and it shoots and handles great. Very light weight and fairly accurate. My only negative is the non-removable black iron sights, I just recently painted part of the front sight white. I need all the help I can get, love the fiber optic, lol.

jbj

The cost is probably due to their completely re-engineering it as an 80% scale model – can’t use the existing blue-prints and all the tool and die stuff has to be custom made too (I’m sure setting up a 1911 manufacturing plant can be done with off-the shelf parts and stock CNC programming). And no sourcing pins, screws and springs!

http://gunscoffee.blogspot.com Fred

And the GSG is the same size as a standard 1911. I doubt I’ll get one for the same reason I don’t have a Sign Mosquito, I like .22 trainers that feel like the real thing.

Anon

A web search suggests the street price will be about $530-$550. That’s essentially the same street price as a Springfield GI-Spec 45! To be worth that much (to me, and I do like the idea of a ‘1911’ scaled down to 22) three things need to be true:
1) The plastic grips need to be replaced with wood.
2) The ‘Alloy’ frame had better not be zinc.
3) The die-cast mark on the side of the trigger needs to be shown the door.

4Cammer

Source on another forum states that this is made in the US and all alloy. Hope that is the case, and that the alloy is not zinc…my 13 year old would love one of these, but with real sights and closer to 450.00.

Jim

Wait, so the full size is 80% of the size of a real 1911, of the compact is 80% of the size of a real 1911?

Ladyfox

While the price is a bit steep the only real competition it has is the GSG 1911 which seems to be going over well with folks who have shot them. The Umarex/Colt one is not only fugly but really is a Colt in name only and if I’m going to spend money for a 1911 clone I’d go with the GSG instead.

I do have to admit however that I’m really intrigued that they are putting out a compact model. Heck, they’re even using a short trigger like on the old Remington-Rand 1911’s which is a nice touch since I prefer the shorter triggers myself.

Will be interesting to see more info about this one once it become available ‘tho I really wish they’d chop $100 off the price tag so it would be competitive with the other 1911 22lr pistols.

http://www.therebelbroker.com The RebelBroker

Okay, get ready to designate me the “Guy Who Asks Stupid Questions”. Why only 10+1 rounds? I get that this means 10 in the clip and one in the pipe. However, it seems to me that even if these .22 rounds are stacked, a lot more than 10 could fit in the clip.

I am assuming the limitation is to comply with the laws in states like my own home state of (embarrassment) California?

Martin (M)

I’m sure it will be a quality firearm, but I can’t help but feel that $600 is about 50% more than I would pay for a .22 plinker. I’d go more if it were a high quality target pistol, but it’s clearly not. Just look at the sights.

TracerTong

Not only is it almost twice as much, the sights are fixed. The GSG 1911 has decent adjustable sights for both windage and elevation, and ships with 3 different kinds of front sights. It is also 80% parts interchangeable with standard 1911 parts.

The smaller size may lead to interchangeability issues.

Squidpuppy

Could still be useful for teaching young shooters or adults novices, where full size 1911s might be too much of a handful. This way they’d become familiar with the platform. But for me? Not so much…

Steve F.

I’d bet (hope!) they aren’t making it out of zinc, either…

Hopefully this is on par with the quality of a Beretta 87, and not a Sig Mosquito.

“gunner”

if not for the price that looks like it could be a replacement for my wife’s old llama .22.

AR1911

Well, I just love mini-1911s, so I’ll have to have one, even at $500+.
The only thing similar ever was the Llama .22, and those things get snapped up everytime one shows up on the auction sites. And I already have one of those.
Now the only thing on my wish-list would be a .22 upper for my Sig P238.

Jim

i’m waiting on more reviews of the GSG 1911.. overall..

the Browning is much too expensive, IMO.. i suppose they did that so you can’t just buy one then convert it to a larger caliber pistol..

If it is reliable, and mags are under $25, I’ll buy one and 5 mags. Put 12 or more rounds in, 15 or more the best, I’d buy one and 15 mags.

http://gunblobber.wordpress.com Gun Blobber

RebelBroker: All .22LR semiauto pistols that I know of (including Ruger Mk I/II/III and 22/45, Browning Buckmark, Beretta U22 Neos, Sig Mosquito, Walther G22) use 10-round mags. The .22LR round has a big rim, which causes it to stack funny. Many more than 10 rounds and you will have to have a curved mag. Since self-defense is not a big selling point of .22LR pistols, I guess nobody has decided to push the envelope on magazine capacity.

Peter

With the short trigger it might be nice for folks with small hands.

http://cmblake6.wordpress.com cmblake6

So, who IS making these things? Where can they be found for purchase? Are they, in fact, a miniaturized clone?

http://www.therebelbroker.com The RebelBroker

Gun Blobber: Thanks for the reply! I like the idea of this type of gun. I have been training my boys with .22 long guns and this looks like a nice move-on for getting them trained up on pistols.

frog5215

A Commander is the compact 1911, so the frame will likely be the same as the normal 80% model, with a shorter barrel and slide.

“gunner”

ya know it just might be interesting to see this done as a locked breech .380, like the old llama. my wife has one of those too and it’s done well over the 40 plus years she’s owned it. the .22 and .380 make a good pair.

http://cmblake6.wordpress.com cmblake6

Ooooo, now there’s a thought! .380, or for that matter .32? Nice!

And I keep seeing people bashing the Mosquito. I just bought one. Fella at the store/range told me all the problems people have are due to not putting a couple of drops of oil in the proper places. He showed me the really important spots, I put in the “Break-Free”, and ran a brick with zero malfunctions.

As for this “mini 1911″, it intrigues me greatly. Excellent trainer in .22, potentially a good fighter in .380 or .32 NAA.

“gunner”

for those not familiar, the old llama .380 was a scaled down copy of the colt/browning m1911a1, same locked breech, swinging link, etc. my wife’s pistol has minor variations, the extractor and a “loaded chamber indicator” in the top of the slide. field stripping is the same as an m1911a1. the .22 was externally the same to a casual glance but functioned as a straight blowback action. redesigning the browning .22 should be a fairly easy engineering job at the factory level, though i wouldn’t recommend “trying it at home”.

taildragger

My dealer told he was limited on how many he could buy for inventory. This is represented as an “Anniversary” model. I’ve seen nothing claiming production is expected to continue. I figure anybody who wants one better get his money down now. Buying it unseen is the chance you have to take when buying limited edition guns.
Other Browning Commenratives have doubled in price once production dried up. Not only have they been quality guns and interesting to collect, they hold their value

Chase Hamil

Why has there been no explanation as to why the gun won’t be available until fall of 2011 due to “production problems?” Just what are the problems and how might they affect accuracy, reliability, or resale value? It’s better than a recall but still makes me nervous.

I have the Colt 1911-22 made by Walther feels good in the hand shoots excellent. Being how Browning was the original designer and its a limited run production for the 1911-22 I already have 2 paid for hoping this will be an investment no plans on shooting these.Time will tell.

confused

i am trying to pick the best 1911-22. I cant decide between: gsg 1911-22, browning 1911-22, or the Chippia 1911-22. Which one do i pick? i have been doing research on all of them for the past week and still cant make up my mind. I dont care about price, i just want one i can rely on and will not make me regret getting it. I have bought other guns in the past that have been junk. So if i coul get In your opinion the best one i would appreciate it.

Will Cushman

Here’s a just released video/info site for the Browning 45/22.

Wish it came with adjustable sights. By the way, the “X” in the upper right corner of the videos acts like a back button.

I don’t like the idea of a 1911 with aluminum or pot metal frames/slides. Why doesn’t the gun manufacturers just use their noraml 45 acp frame/slide but with a 22lr barrel. Makes sense to me.

Rex

A steel slide won’t work with .22LR, not enough oomph to cycle it.
Also, it has to be blowback for the same reason.
So, alloy slide is mandatory, and you can’t have a locked breech.
It is what it is.

Felix

22s will work with a steel slide; For example, my bernardelli model 60 has an all steel slide and is extreamely reliable with all sorts off ammunition from bulk ammo to CCI, another great exmaple are the beretta 71, 87 and 948. For the price of a browning I rather buy a used beretta or a bernardelli like mine that run about 200 and are build much more solidly.

Will Cushman

@John- My guess is that using aluminum for the slide has to do with its weight (mass) compared to steel. Remember that it’s a .22 rimfire with a light bullet and it takes a considerable amount of recoil to operate a standard 1911 slide. Compare the mass of a Colt Woodsman or a Ruger .22 Auto slide with a standard 1911 .45 steel slide-they are also straight blowback actions; the Browning locks up so it takes even more oompf to unlock it and then move the slide rearward (I think).

Art

Having shot the 1911 ACE kit (makes 1911 and 1911-A1 into a .22) I found no problem with getting the 1911 to function with .22-cal ammo. In fact, that experience caused me to jump on the Beretta 92 .22-cal conversion kit with works just as well as the ACE kit did for the real 1911.
Reading the reviews has caused me to pass on suggesting that my son purchase one of these “mini 1911″ firearms. For over $500 I would expect a .22 to have a good trigger (nobody has ever said the 1911-22 has a good trigger) and a great finish along with adjustable sights. I’ll find one to fire but I doubt that I’ll waste my money on one until I read that they have been greatly improved.

kparzych

If they attempted to push 22 cals through the normal size 45 frame it would just end up being a newer version of the Colt Military Ace…

willie barber

I own a GSG 1911-22 and a Sig 1911-22. Both function flawlessly with Hv ammo. They break down and clean easily and appear to be top quality. I called Sig Co. to buy more magazines. (The CEO of GSG is the brother of the CEO of Sig), so GSG builds the SIG 1911-22). I was told to use 1200FPS ammo, however lower velocity ammo (about 1000 FPS) also fired flawlessly, but not reccomended by Sig, simply because this ammo may or may not function (according to the brand). I read the much more expensive Kimber 1911-22 gun reviews on the Internet, and I can assure you both GSG and Sig 1911-22’s are much more accurate than the Kimber, if these reviews are honest. I also own a Browning Buckmart pistol and a Ruger 22/45 (5.5 inch fluted barrel), (excellent guns) and the GSG was not too far behind in accuracy with the right ammo. Now, if the long range endurance of the GSG is good, the GSG is a fine pistol, especially for the money.

AMMO Hank

My 11 year old son is a huge military history buff and from the moment he saw this pistol, he wanted one. I told him that if he saved up half the money for one, I put in the other half. I did a lot of reading and research on different 1911-22’s before encouraging him to get this one. In the end, the fact that this one is made in America, is constructed of acft grade aluminum (not pot metal or zinc like some other models), is a smaller scale which will fit my 11 year olds hands better, and closer resembles the original 1911 than other models, were all reasons we decided to get this particular gun. I know it costs more, but this is the first gun my son has saved his hard earned money for. I though he should at least get a quality product that will not depreciate in value. I know he will eventually outgrow it, but at least he will have a fine start to his own gun collection.

Rex

So did you find one to buy?
I have yet to find one, but I’m a buyer when I do.

Jerry Reifenstahl

I would like to know when they will be available,and through which gun shops,store etc.

rp

Hey ya’ll,
I picked up my Browning 1911-22 Fri, for about $530. Was apprehensive about shelling out so many “skibbies” for this pistol, as it felt, uh, “petite”. Slide seems to be cast, not sure of the material, but it is scary light. Upon tear down, there are some plastic parts, that don’t neccesarily exude quality. Upon plinking about 300 rounds thru it, it functions perfectly, even on cheap ammo (had to try it), although my intent is to run CCI minimags. It has above average acurracy, although they could have done a lot better job on the trigger, as it has a stagey feel to it, along with a long reset (could be lots lighter, but I understand lots of different folks will proly own these lil gems), In comparasion to my fussy lil SIG p238, the Sigs trigger is better in every way. All in all, I do love this lil pistol (it’s reliability and accuracy won me over). Also, it’s super light weight/size is easy to tote, and creates, dare I say, a little bit of recoil from the mighty 22lr, which ya sure don’t notice in a fullsize pistol, but is kind of neat in a 22, at least ya do not think yer shooting a pellet gun, hahah. Just my 2 cents………….

Gyvel

Just to dispel some misinformation, the original Colt Ace which premiered in 1931 was a DIRECT blowback design which operated WITHOUT the benefit of Williams’ chamber insert.

Internally, the slide had sufficient lighteneing cuts and was about 1/4″ shorter than a standard 1911 slide which allowed it to function as a direct blowback, so an all-sttel slide would be possible.

In fact, at 80% of full size, I would say that the Browning pistol could easily have functioned with an all-steel slide. Most likely, the deciding factor was manufacturing cost. In all likellihood, the Browning has its prohibitive price tag due to (a) American labor costs and (b) the fact that aluminum still has to be machined and is not easily and cheaply cast like the Zamak imports.

My own experiences with Zamak guns as a former gunsmith is that it just doesn’t stand up to prolonged wear, and is subject to a variety of factors such as cracking or rapid corrosion when not properly stored or cared for. In some cases, the corrosion can be deadly, as I saw more than one Zamak gun pass my bench where the slide and frame where corroded together with a live round inthe chamber.

Sig and Beretta .22 conversion kits are aluminum, as well as some French Unique .22 pistols. Aluminum is far superior for this type of application and will outlast any Zamak pot metal gun probably 3 to 1.

freddy

browning 1911-22 pistol to small to have 85% changeable parts. about the only parts you can interexchange are MAYBE the grip screws. This is a reduced size pistol.. it dose shoot quite well good blow back design

freddy

great pistol…. BUT … try and get parts for it … you may want to think twice B-4 you purchase… t-shirts if they pay me to advertise for them… holster… t-shirts and holster thats all they have… so far

freddy

called browning parts department again…. still no parts avalable for the model 1911-22…. something to think about before ordering this pistol… if you pay for shipping both ways then they will repair it.. parts + labor.. simple parts to replace like do yourself plastic guide rod and recoil spring easy repair.. out at the range plastic guide rod broke plus badley bent recoil spring.. yep no spare parts no shooting at the range

Rex

Guide rods are easy to make from real metal. Post the specs.
Yes, I realize Browning should have the parts available, but that’s why there is a healthy aftermarket.

stan

I think its a cool little 1911 made by Browning in Utah.does anyone have a suggestion for aluminum on aluminum lub.?

ershar11

Just bought it yesterday and fired it today. It’s a joy to shoot. Very accurate, no recoil or muzzle flip. I have a Glock 26 and a Sig P238, a Walther P22 and a Ruger LCR in .22 caliber. This is my new favorite. I’m a 60 yr old female with long fingers. The Browning fits like a glove. I’m not a great marksman but I managed to nail a nickle-sized bullseye with 8 out of 10 rounds from about 25 ft. My only negative comment is that the sights are low profile and difficult to see when aiming at a dark target. I plan to try some day glo paint on the sites.